The Kolb Bonus---March 3
If the Cardinals have worked out an agreement with Kolb on some sort of salary reduction, then it would mean the Cardinals are not going to draft a QB at #7.
If, on the other hand, the Cardinals elect to move on from Kolb and do not give him is roster bonus, there is a very good chance the Cardinals have targeted their QBOF at the #7 pick.
The Kolb Question---
It seems very important to Michael Bidwill to see if the team could finally get their money's worth on Kolb. The question is: will BA feel obliged to try to work his and Tom Moore's magic on Kolb so as to please Bidwill?
Kolb cannot be a confident choice---he simply cannot. Even if BA liked what he saw before Kolb was injured---2 concussions in the past 3 years (the most recent lasting 8 weeks) and broken ribs and a dislodged rib cage, not to mention turf toe---
Bidwill seems to have turned a page and a few corners---and he seems to be learning from the past---saddling the previous regime with Matt Leinart did not work out---and maybe MB won't feel so desperate to get something out of Kolb after all.
Drafting a QB at #7---April 25
There's the starter. Bruce Arians won with a bunch of rookies last year. yes, his rookie QB was Andrew Luck, but if he, Steve Keim and Tom Moore feel there is a QB at #7 that they like---they are going to start him right from the get-go.
The QB candidates at #7:
1. Geno Smith, 6-3, 214, West Virginia.
2. Matt Barkley, 6-2, 220, USC
3. Mike Glennon, 6-6, 232, North Carolina St.
4. Ryan Nassib, 6-3, 229, Syracuse
They say this is a weak QB class---Steve Keim was adamant in saying, "That's a cop-out." Hmmm.
Smith appears to be the consensus #1 QB on virtually everyone's draft boards. He has the arm, accuracy, mobility and leadership skills that coaches want. He's been highly productive---had to make the difficult transition to the Big 12 this year...and he faded some down the stretch and had a real stinker of a last game in the sleet at Yankee Stadium.
Barkley would have been a top ten pick last year---but went back to USC to vie for a national championship. What he and the Trojans got instead was an immensely disappointing season. Barkley's performance, like the team's, was well below expectations. And even worse, due to a shoulder injury, Barkley wasn't able to play in USC's bowl game. But---when you go back and look at his 2011 tapes and watch his performance in big road wins versus Oregon and Arizona---it reminds you of why he would have been the second or third QB taken in last year's draft. What excites you the most is how adept Barkley is on the move---he run bootlegs and waggles in textbook fashion, and he throws very well on the run. What further excites you is the way he goes through his progressions when the first option is taken away. And what I find particularly strong about his game is his ability as a righty to throw left....better than any QB in this draft, imo.
But---this is like deja vu all over again for the Cardinals---Matt Leinart returned to USC after winning the Heisman, his stock dropped, and the Cardinals were able to take him at #10.
The good news is---if you like Barkley---Bruce Arians and Tom Moore weren't here for the Leinart days and they don't care. If Barkley is their guy---they will take him without hesitation.
Glennon---best week at the Senior Bowl, but disappointing performance in the game. Again, I don't think Arians, Keim and Moore care about the game, they went to see him in person and saw up close his size and arm strength. And no player in this draft will be as well scouted as Glennon. Keim is an NC State grad---I guarantee he has already spoken at length with Tom O'Brien and Dana Bible. Glennon's older brother played QB at Virginia Tech, so BA is no stranger to the Glennon family.
Nassib---when Russ Lande tabbed him as the #1 prospect in the draft, some laughed and others cried. The ones who cried are the ones who see what Lande sees and were hoping to keep the lid on this kid so they could draft him in the 2nd round. I think that Nassib is more highly regarded than most of us imagine. And when one watches his tapes, at times, he might remind one a little bit of Andrew Luck. Similar body type---similar toughness and competitiveness---will run with it when he has the chance. Luck snaps the ball off his wrist better and has a tighter delivery. That can be taught and repped. And no one came out of college reading defenses better than Luck---but again, that can be taught....and Nassib has already made very good strides under Doug Mallone.
As I have spent more and more time watching these 4---I have come to the conclusion that one of these 4 will be our starter this year and for years to come. If BA drafts another position at #7, I think we will see them trade back into the first round to pick pone of these QBs.
That is unless...
Door #2
Bruce Arians has mentioned Door #2 on a few occasions---he also alluded to the possibility of checking out "other team's backups"---and if that is the case, a few young QBs come to mind:
1. Matt Moore, 6-3, 203, 7---was the backup to rookie Ryan Tannehill for the Dolphins and was Todd Bowles' starter when Bowles was interim HC and helped lead the Dolphins to a 6-3 finish in 2011. Moore is an unrestricted free agent and thus the Cardinals could not have to trade for him.
2. Brandon Weeden, 6-3, 220, 2, Browns---if the Browns sign Alex Smith as some predict, the Browns would very likely be willing to trade Weeden, especially because they do not have a 2nd round pick in light of drafting WR Josh Morgan in last year's supplemental draft.
Yes, Weeden is 29, but is not that old in playing or NFL years. Sure, you'd like younger, but BA wants to win now, not later and if Weeden is the right fit, and by virtue of his big arm he appears to be a very good fit, then he could be the player they want.
His QB coach at Cleveland, Mark Whipple, really likes Weeden and likes him a great deal. Two of my best friends visited Whipple for a game during the Browns' three game winning streak toward the end of the year. They told me that Whipple is very very high on Weeden---they also told me that at Whip 's house after the win, during a party that Whip threw for the Browns' coaches, Weeden called Whipple with his reflections on the game. They also said that moments afterward, Ben Rosehtlisberger called to congratulate Whip on three wins in a row. Whipple was Ben Rosethlisberger's QB coach in Pittsburgh, and has remained close to Whip all these years. Obviously, BA knows Whipple well and might be very interested in what Whipple has to say about Weeden.
It has been pointed out in the media that Pat Shurmur played it too conservative with Weeden and that Shurmur's WC system was not a good fit---I remember my friends saying that Weeden got pissed and had to call timeout twice during the game because Brad Childress tried to call two plays they hadn't run in weeks---plays not even run in practice for many weeks.
3. Ryan Mallett, 6-6, 238, 3, Patriots. Has the big arm and the Patriots don't have any 4th, 5th or 6th round draft picks due to the Talib trade and others. Plus, look for Matt Cassell to re-appear as Brady's backup if Mallett is traded and Cassell is released, as expected.
4. Alex Smith, 6-4, 217, 9, 49ers. The Browns, Chiefs, Jags and Jets will be interested and a trade will be made. If the Browns get him, Weeden becomes available. If the Chiefs get him, the Cardinals might be able to trade up to draft Geno Smith, especially with all the evenly-rated prospects at the top of the draft. if the Jags get him, Blaine Gabbert (6-5, 233, 3, Jaguars) becomes available and if the Jets get him, Mark Sanchez (6-2, 225, 5, Jets) becomes available. Gabbert would be very unlikely, imo. But Sanchez...while I wouldn't think so, Tom Moore was a consultant for the Jets two years ago---and it would be interested to hear what he has to say about Sanchez. If Moore likes him, then perhaps Sanchez might get some attention.
5. Drew Stanton, 6-3, 243, 7, UFA. He was BA's #2 behind Luck in Indy. Won't command big bucks
Deja Vu #2?
Just as the Cardinals might be a little reluctant to draft a USC QB whose stock has dropped somewhat---
Would they also be reluctant to spend another high draft pick (1st, 2nd or 3rd) to acquire some other team's backup?
My feeling is that BA, SK & TM will arrive at a consensus as to the QB they want, and---just as Tom Moore said, "I don't live in the past," I don't think they will care about past deals or moves. What matters is this move.
Recap:
If Kolb stays---they will draft a developmental QB.
If Kolb leaves---they will draft a QB in the first round, either at #7 or by trading down or back into the first (who will be the starter from day one) or sign a UFA like Matt Moore and/or Drew Stanton---or trade for Weeden, Mallett or Sanchez.
